Proposal for Walmart store withdrawn

Susan Tuz

Published 10:20 pm, Sunday, April 14, 2013

NEW MILFORD -- Once again, Westrock Development is back to square one with its property at 189 Danbury Road after its partner realty company withdrew their application for construction on Wednesday.

In 2007, Westrock was touting the 12.5-acre site as the future location of "The Streets of New Milford," a retail lifestyle center with two dozen or so specialty shops.

While the Zoning Commission had approved the project, with the recession of 2008 the plan was abandoned.

This year, Saber New Milford LLC -- the realty company partnered with Westrock -- submitted an application to the Inland Wetlands Commission to construct a 154,000-square-foot retail store at the site.

Tied into the approval was the purchase of 215, 219 and 221 Danbury Road to complete the retail site.

Westrock was in discussions with Walmart to lease the potential building at 189 Danbury Road. If such a lease were signed, Walmart would have relocated and closed its smaller store in the nearby Stop & Shop plaza, according to a spokesman for the retailer.

But numerous concerns were raised by the commission and neighbors to the site about engineering plans for drainage on the property.

The questions put forward in February were never answered, Zoning Enforcement Officer Jim Ferlow said last week.

"Drainage is a critical aspect of this site," Ferlow said during hearings on the project proposal.

"There have been several significant problems with projects in that area," he said.

On Wednesday, Saber withdrew its application -- the day before the commission was going to vote on a resolution of denial for the project.

"Any future reapplication will start from a better point," attorney Neil Marcus, representing Saber, wrote to the commission on March 14.